Toy.



.J. W. ZIMMERMAN.

TOY. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 8 '1909.

955A92 Patented Apr. 19,1910.

UNITED STATS ATENT FFTC.

JOHN W. ZIIVIMERMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TOY.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN WV. ZIMMERMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain Improvements in Toys, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in that variety of toys which are more particularly designed and adapted for use by chidren for flipping or projecting paper disks or other small pieces of sheet material, and the object of the invention is to provide a device of this general character, of a simple and comparatively inexpensive nature, and of a strong and durable construction, which shall be capable of being compactly folded when not in use, and which shall permit of such convenient and efl'ect ive employment as will materially enhance the entertainment and amusement afforded by the device.

The invention consists in certain novel features of the construction, and combinations and arrangements of the several parts of the improved toy, whereby certain important advantages are attained, and the device is rendered simpler, stronger and less expensive, and otherwise better adapted and more convenient for use, all as will be here inafter fully set forth.

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in the claims.

In order that my improvements may be the better understood I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a toy embodying my improvements in folded condition ready for use; Fig. 2 is a view showing the improved toy with its members in the positions wherein they stand after being operated to project or flip a paper disk or the like; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken lengthwise of the device in a plane midway between its members and illustrating the form assumed by the actuating spring when the members are in folded relation; Fig. 4: is a transverse section drawn to an enlarged scale and taken through the device in the plane indicated by the line a-a in Fig. 1, and showing the means for retaining the members thereof in folded relation, and Fig. 5 is a view showing a preferred formation of the paper disks in con- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 8, 1909.

Patented Apr. 19, 1910.

Serial No. 482,078.

nection wherewith the improved projecting or flipping device is capable of being used.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, the improved flipping device is therein illustrated as formed with a body member 1 of elongated form, which may be conveniently made from a thin and narrow strip of wood or the like, one end portion whereof, as indicated at 2 in the drawings, is capable of bemg grasped within the hand of the user, so as to afford a convenient handle by means of which the device may be held during use. At the end opposite to the handle 2, the elongated body portion or member 1 is provided with a rivet 3 or equivalent device, set therein with one end projecting from the lateral side of said member and affording a pivot or fulcrum whereon is held for swinging movement, a flipping member a, which is also shown herein as made in elongated form, but of less length than the body member 1, so that the handle end 2 of the latter is permitted to project beyond the free end of the flipping member l when the same is folded down alongside the body member, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4:. The flipping member 1 may also be conveniently formed from a narrow strip of flattened wood or the like.

The flipping member is provided, at its upper surface, and adjacent to its free end, with an elongated kerf or slitted opening 5 produced in it and adapted to receive the edge portion of a paper disk as or equivalent piece of thin sheet material to be flipped or.

projected during the use of the toy. As herein shown this slitted opening or kerf 5 does not extend entirely through the flipping member, but is closed at its lower or under surface, as shown at 6 in the drawings, so that such closure affords an abutment for effective engagement with the edge of the disk or equivalent part in order that the movement of the member a may be effectively communicated thereto as will be hereinafter explained.

7 represents an actuating spring, which may be conveniently formed from a short length of spring wire bent at its central portion, so as to be capable of being engaged over the rivet 3 which affords pivotal connection between the members 1 and a, with its opposite end portions forming arms or members 8 and 9, which are adapted to be extended, respectively, along the adjacent surfaces of the respective members 1 and 4:, and which have their respective extremities and 11 bent outward at abrupt angles, and engaged within the respective members in such a manner that the tension of said actuating spring is normally exercised to press the flipping member 4: upward in an angular position above the body member 1, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

12 represents a retaining member or slide which is capable of operation to hold the members 1 and 4 in folded relation as shown in Figs. 1 and 1 at such times as the device is not in actual operation, and as herein shown this slide or member 12 is made in the form of a strip of thin metal, the ends 15, of which are bent at right angles to its intermediate portion so as to be adapted to be extended over the opposite upper and lower edge surfaces of the body member 1, adj acent to its handle portion 2, in such a way as to effectively hold said slide in position for sliding movement along the body member. The slide 12 has a projection 14: at its ex posed surface so that the finger of the user may be more conveniently engaged therewith for moving the slide lengthwise upon the body member.

The upper bent end portion 15 of the slide 12 is made of greater length than the corresponding lower portion, and is thereby caused to project beyond the side surface of the body member 1 to such an extent as will permit it to be effectively engaged above the top surface of the flipping member 'r when. the latter is pressed down parallel with and alongside the body member 1, as shown in Figs. 1 and a, and the said slide 12 is slipped lengthwise upon the said body member, whereby it will be seen that the flipping member may be effectively retained in the folded position shown in Figs. 1 and 1, with the actuating spring 7 tensioned ready to impart a sharp and sudden swinging movement to said member so soon as the retaining silde 12 is reversely moved along the body portion. 1. When the members are thus held in folded position, the device is very compact and may be conveniently carried in the pocket or packed within small space, and is securely held in folded condition until such time as a card or disk is inserted at the kerf 5 and the slide 12 is slipped into releasing position, whereupon the spring 7 is capable of operation to throw the member 1 sharply upward and thereby projector flip such card or disk to a considerable distance. The spring 7 being in a plane between the members 1 and 4, effectively prevents said members from binding upon each other, and is prevented by the rivet 3 from flying toward the face of the user in case it should by accident, become loosened at its extremities.

In practice, and more particularly, when the device is used as an advertising novelty, for which purpose it is well adapted, I propose to form the disks or pieces 09 from rather thick card board in the manner illustrated in Fig. As shown in this view the piece or sheet of card board from which the disks are to be prepared is perforated into a number of squares 20, by means of intersecting rows of perforations, along which such squares may be readily separated from each other. Upon each such square 20 is printed an advertisement, as seen at 18, and this is surrounded by acircular border, as shown at 19. Such cards being supplied with the improved flipping toy will be out out by the children themselves along the circular borders 19, so that the advertisements printed upon the cards will be carried home by the children and after being cut, will be distributed about the streets. In a similar manner, when the device is used as an advertising novelty, any preferred advertisement may be printed upon the body member 1.

From the above description it will be seen that the improved toy is of an extremely simple and comparatively inexpensive nature, and is particularly well adapted for use by reason of the compactness with which it may be folded when not in use and of the convenience with which it may be operated, and it will also be obvious from the above description that the device is susceptible of considerable modification without material departure from the principles and spirit of the invention, and for this reason I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the precise formation and arrangement of the several parts of the device as herein set forth in carrying out my invention in practice.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is zl. A device of the character described having two elongated flattened members pivotally connected and adapted to be folded side by side, one of the members being of less length than the other and being provided in its upper edge surface with a longitudinally extended kerf adapted to receive an edge of a thin paper disk or the like, and a spring having its opposite ends connected with the respective flattened members and adapted to be placed under tension when the members are folded side by side, and capable of operation, when the shorter member is released, to throw the same outwardly from the longer member and to project a disk or the like from the kerf of said shorter member.

2. A device of the character described having two elongated members pivotally connected and adapted to be folded side by side, one of the members being of less length than the other and having its upper surface provided with a longitudinally extended kerf adapted to receive an edge of a paper disk or the like, and a spring having its ends connected with the respective members and adapted to be placed under tension when the members are folded side by side, and capable of operation, when the shorter member is released, to throw the same outwardly from the longer member to project a disk or the like from the kerf of said shorter member, said spring being housed between the members when said members are folded side by side.

In witness whereof I have hereunto 15 signed my name, in the presence of two subscrlbing wltnesses.

JOHN W. ZIMMERMAN.

Witnesses:

THEODORE J. H0011, RICHARD P. SoHULTHEIs. 

